The Piratess and the Sea Advocate
by tinypixy
Summary: [This is set right after 3x12] - After their return to Storybrooke, Henry can't remember his old life & the things that happened in Neverland, yet he's unconsciously suffering from PTSD, especially in his dreams. One night Killian hears his screams and awakens the boy from his nightmare. To distract him he begins to tell a tale about an honorable pirate and a courageous young lady.
1. Chapter 1

As he closed the bathroom door, he heard the screams.

They weren't loud ones, nobody downstairs would ever hear them, but they were just as equally as anxious as the high-pitched squeals of a rabbit that was driven into a corner; its cries echoing with terror and fear.

They sent cold shivers down his spine and as he closed his eyes to shake them off, a white flicker ran across the inner of his eyes. He knew these screams all too well, he's been the prey of haunting nightmares for many, many years, before he finally started to find some peace in his sleep, initiated by their arrival in Neverland.

Back then, he thought it was the familiar environment that had saved him, but now that they were back in Storybrooke, he knew better. It wasn't some place that had changed him, it was some_one_.

Emma, Henry and himself had been invited over for dinner at Mary Margaret's place to celebrate their return but the boy had been fallen asleep pretty quickly after he had finished his meal. As if he hadn't been able to fight his eye-lids any longer, he had finally surrendered their heavy weight, Hook had noticed.

He carefully opened the door to Henry's old bedroom at the loft and came closer to the boy, whose face was beaded with sweat while his forehead was furrowed in distress. He was fighting a war inside of his head, and even though he had no memories of his old life, his subconsciousness was still battling the major psychic trauma that was caused by everything that had happened to him in Neverland and afterwards by swapping bodies with Peter Pan.

Hook pitied the boy. He knew the feeling of being abandoned, but swapping bodies with a deadly creature that was supposed to be your grand-grandfather, that put the term 'traumatic experience' to a whole new level.

He reached out his good hand to gently touch the boy's shoulder, his eyes filled with concern.

"Henry," he whispered with a soft voice, but the boy wouldn't awake from his bad dream.

"Henry," he said again, raising his voice slightly and touching his shoulder once again.

"Wake up, lad. It's alright, it's-," Henry opened his eyes in horror, taking a great gasp, desperate for oxygen, as if he was drowning in his sleep.

"WHAT- WHAT HAPP—WHAT HAPPENED?! WHERE AM I?" He almost screamed, sitting in his bed.

"Shhh, shh, everything's alright, lad! Nothing to worry about, 't was just a dream, just a dream," Hook tried to calm him.

"And you're at Mary Margaret's flat, remember? Your mother's friend. You fell asleep after dinner," he winked at him.

Carefully pushing Henry down by his shoulder, he managed to lay him down again. His fast breaths were almost alarming, but Hook decided to let him calm down on his own, without worrying his mother. He was a tough boy, he would get through his and Hook would be there to help him.

"Here, drink this," he offered him his flask. Henry side-eyed him and the flask suspiciously, which made him smile to himself.

"No worries lad, it's just water. I don't drink rum only, you know," he clarified the situation.

"Smell, it'll diminish your concern," he suggested. Henry took the advice and decided that the man he had been introduced to as Killian Jones was talking the truth.

"Thanks," the boy said with a trembling voice, taking a sip.

"Where's my mom," he asked, his breath still uneven.

"She's downstairs. I used the bathroom and when I left, I noticed your troubled sounds, so I came to examine your well-being." Henry nodded.

"Thanks," he said again.

"It's a matter of course," Hook smiled before he raised a brow.

"Now drink up and go back to sleep. Youngsters like you need lots of rest to restore their strength."

Henry's forehead furrowed and his grip around the black flask tightened. His eyes were looking down, distantly, but it seemed as if he was seeing something terrible in the pattern of his bedding. Hook opened his hand to inquire his flask back. When Henry didn't move an inch, Hook raised his brow again.

"Mate?" he said, "The flask?"

But Henry still didn't move. After a few seconds that felt like eternity, Hook asked again.

"You alright, boy?" Henry shook his head with the tiniest of movements, but Hook noticed the desperation in it.

"What's the matter?" He asked. Now Henry closed his eyes. He closed them so tightly, it must have hurt him. In fact, it was painful to even look at him, Hook thought.

"Hey, hey, it's alright, it's okay," he said and embraced him tightly. Now Henry started to cry. His face was pressed against Hook's chest, his hot tears burning into his skin.

"I can't," Henry cried, "I can't."

"I can't, what?" Hook asked patting the boy's head, but Henry only shook it, not being able to talk. When he calmed down, he let go of the hug, embarrassment reflecting in his eyes. Hook looked at him, nodding at the boy, wearing an encouraging smile on his lips.

"I," Henry hesitated, his eyes looking down again, "I, I can't go back to sleep."

Hook pressed his lips together, compassionately.

"I'm… I'm too afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"The nightmares. They're haunting me," Henry answered, looking up again, genuine fear in his eyes.

"They usually come and go but ever since we came here I keep seeing things that I don't understand. Every single time I close my eyes, it's just… it's so terrifying…" He almost whispered the last part.

Hook put his hand on Henry's shoulder.

"Ah, now that's not going to happen, again." Henry looked confused.

"What? How would you know that?" He asked.

"It's not going to happen as long as I am here. See, I have this power to battle bad dreams and expel them forever." This made Henry smile, but he shook his head.

"I'm not a little kid anymore, you know. You can't trick me with these kinds of tales."

"A tale?" Hook asked.

"Oh, my little friend, you've never heard me tell a real tale before. This, however, is nothing but the truth."

"I don't believe you, though." Henry seemed serious now. Hook exhaled through his nose, laughing without opening his mouth. He looked down at his prosthesis and thought of his hook, before his eyes met Henry's under his thick eyelashes.

"Then I'm afraid," he said, "you simply have to take a chance and trust me with this one."

Hook's smirk was so heartening it gave Henry the feeling of security and warm comfort. He realized just now how much he had missed this feeling; his heart secretly longed for it every day while growing up without a father. His mom was great, she did everything she could to be both to him, a mother and a friend. But having a dad, that was something she couldn't replace. Looking into Hook's face now, he got a slight clue what it might have felt like to grow up with a father figure in the house.

Biting his lip, and still a little hesitating, he finally answered.

"Okay. I will give it a try."

Hook grinned now, proud and relieved that his plan had worked.

"But it doesn't mean I believe you. I'm old enough to know the difference between reality and stories."

"You sure do, lad. Yet it doesn't mean you can't appreciate a well told narrative," he winked at the boy.

"Ready to hear a true story?" Henry smiled now, yet skepticism didn't leave his eyes. He knew Hook just wanted to tell him a bedtime story but even though he felt too old for these kinds of things, he liked the thought of distraction. Anything was better than getting back to sleep were the demons waited for him... So yeah, he was ready.

Henry nodded.

"Alright then. This is the tale of a young lady's longing heart and a dashing pirate's honorable code. This is the tale of _'The piratess and the sea advocate'_."


	2. Chapter 2

In a far off land, Susanna of Cagliari was a beautiful, spirited and proper young lady who loved nothing more than spending her days in her father's library, imagining herself being a participant of every single one of the adventures her curious mind had ever read of. Right now, though, she could only wish to be in the magical company of her beloved books. Instead, her hands were chained together while her arms embraced a mast, her back tightly pressed against the hard wood, so she was forced to look at the scenery she was brought into. Filthy men were fighting with swords and sticks and somewhere in the distance she could hear the shoot of a cannonball.

'Oh no,' she thought. 'Oh no, no, no, no, no. This is bad, this is really, really bad.'

She knew this year was glutted with bad luck, but never in her wildest thoughts would she have prophesied this kind of sinister fate. Only hours ago she was sitting at home, kissing her father goodbye and being ready to invade her very special world of stories. Yet, she had decided to pay the bakery a visit to buy some of her favorite delights for her everyday afternoon tea. What she didn't know was that at the very same time, pirates, who sailed under the crimson flag, had come ashore to stock up their supplies. Of course they didn't pay for what they took, which led to the consequence of persecution. The governor, who happened to be Lady Susanna's very father, had ordered immediate capture of the thieves and evacuation of the civilians. Yet, just when the troops were about to catch the outlaws, Lady Susanna, who had missed any of the occurred incidences, had left the bakery, looking very pleased about her recent purchase. She had also missed that four of the pirates were running directly into her, which led to the unfortunate trouble of becoming a captive of these very corsairs.

'Why did I have to leave the house? WHY?,' she screamed in her head.

'I could have had tea right now. Reading my books!'

Being a prisoner of pirates and being in the middle of a capturing by another ship wasn't even troubling her this much, it was the simple fact that her daily routine was ruined and there was nothing she could do about it. Just when she was frowning to herself, someone loosened the chains around her wrists. For a second, Lady Susanna didn't even notice the releasing of her hands. But before she had time to comprehend her rapid freedom, a bold, stinking man swung her across his broad shoulder and started running. The blood in Lady Susanna's veins stood still, she couldn't even make herself scream. Only then she saw, from an upside-down view, how close the other ship had gotten to the one she still was an involuntary member of. The stranger climbed up the wooden rail and Lady Susanna slowly began to understand.

'No,' she gasped, but before she could even try to loosen herself from his tight grip, the unknown man took a great jump across the deep ocean right beneath them. And there it was, a high pitched scream that made Lady Susanna's lungs ache with desperation. They landed with a hard hitch that went through their bones. The man wasn't running anymore but he still held her with a firm grip, not letting her go. She now started to punch the man in the back and kick around with her delicate legs.

"LET ME GO!" She screamed. "LET ME GO!"

But none of this seemed to bother the stranger. Then they entered a room, or more like a cabin, as much as Lady Susanna could see. The man took the Lady from his shoulder, much more gentle than he had swung her across it, only minutes ago. Lady Susanna, still bewildered by anything that had just happened to her, was almost about to tell the man about her gratitude for helping her to escape the other ship, when he pushed her down and forced her to sit on an uncomfortable wooden chair. The sudden movement made her squeak with surprise.

What was happening, she thought to herself. But before she could even ask, he tied up her hands together, yet again, using a thick hemp rope. When she looked up from her hands, baffled by her misfortune, the man was already gone. Lady Susanna could hear the sounds from the battle. Canons firing, men shouting, blades clanging. It was just then, that she slowly started to grasp where she was brought to. Her fearful eyes looked around and in the dim light of the candles she could recognize a single bed, a desk and a dining table right in the middle of the small cabin.

'Why did you have to leave the house…,' she blamed herself, 'Why?'

Just when tiny crystals started to form in her green eyes, the door opened. Lady Susanna blinked away the tears and starred at the door, her face mirroring rigidity and fierceness. Another man entered. She couldn't see his face in the dark light, but he was taller and thinner than the man who brought her aboard this ship. He wore a long black leather coat, leather pants and a red vest that almost glowed in the candlelight. For a moment he just stood there, watching her. Then, she could see something that resembled a smile and as he took a step closer, she got verified that it was, indeed, a filthy smirk. Lady Susanna gritted her teeth, raging on the inside. She swore to herself, if this man just took another step closer to her, it was going to be his last. Her hands may have been roped together, but her feet were still intact and ready to kick. Just when he attempted to take another step she screamed, with a very steady voice: "Stay were you are!"

The smirk on the stranger's face only got bigger now. He lifted his leg as if it was in slow motion and placed his foot carefully another step closer to the girl in front of him, obviously mocking her.

"I mean it!" She said. "Don't you dare coming closer, or-"

The man chuckled scornfully.

"Or, what, darling?"

Lady Susanna didn't know what to answer. All she could do was to look him right in the eye, furious and stern. Suddenly, he closed the gap between them in one quick movement, so his face was right in front of hers. She could feel his hot breath meeting her skin, which made her nervous heart only beat with an ever higher magnitude. From this striking distance his smile looked almost eerie and sinister.

"Cat got your tongue, now, love?"

He nearly whispered before he slowly moved back to his old spot in the cabin.

"But where are my manners?" He said, turning around and opening his arms.

"We haven't been formally introduced. Your rude tone implies that you evidently don't know who you're talking to. Looks like I still have to work on my reputation."

The Lady wasn't sure if that last part was meant for her ears or only as a note to himself. But before she could think about it any further, he went on, revealing his identity.

"The name's Killian Jones," he said taking a tiny bow while looking right into her eyes, making sure he had the girl's full attention, "and I am _captain_ of this ship."

"Hold on, hold on!" Henry interrupted Hook.

"Killian Jones? Isn't that _your_ name?"

"Aye," Hook nodded.

"And you want me to believe this is a real story? How stupid do you think I am?"

"I certainly don't think you're stupid at all, lad. Yet, you're missing the possibility of me not being the only one who ever went by this name. Or do you think you're in the exception of being the single titular of your name?"

Henry thought about it and shrugged.

"Probably not. But it's still weird."

"What's odd about it? If you hadn't cut in on me, you would've had learned that, in fact, this was the story of my grand-grand-grandfather who I was named after."

"You mean, your grand-grandfather was a pirate?"

"Grand-grand-grandfather. And yes indeed, that he was." Henry pouted, disbelieving.

Of course Hook was talking about his own past, but he could hardly tell this to the boy who still hadn't regained his memories back.

"However, he wasn't a generic pirate at all. There was one thing about him that differed him from any other man who was sailing with black sails."

"And what was that?" Henry asked. Hook raised his brow, annoyance in his voice.

"Will you allow me to tell this tale, or will you not?" He asked, calmly though.

Henry felt the warm blood rush to his cheeks, his eyes reflecting embarrassment. He didn't want him to leave.

"Good," Hook went on. "As I told, Killian Jones was no common buccaneer. He was a man with a code; a man of honor."

"Honor? Since when do pirates care about '_honor'_?" Lady Susanna asked sniffy.

"Looks like you have a lot to learn, m'lady," was his answer.

"Now tell me, why do you think you're on this ship?"

Lady Susanna's eyes widened. She didn't even want to think about the different circumstances that might have lead to the cause for her bondage on this ship. Even the notion of it made the fear feel more prominent in her chest, yet she knew she mustn't show her dread.

"It's because my men were ordered at my behest to not only reprieve any innocent voyagers that were aboard but also to rescue them."

Lady Susanna blinked, her mouth open. This wasn't the kind of reason she was expecting.

"Did I confuse you, m'lady? I feel terribly sorry for perishing your image of my awful self." He laughed.

"I- I just," she didn't quite know how to answer. It surprised her that the matter of her capture was indeed an – honorable one, but she also didn't like the tone in this pirate's mocking voice. Disconcert she looked down to her lap.

"Then why, _captain_, are my hands tied?" She said, emphasizing the word 'captain' with a sharp tone. Killian puckered his lips.

"I thought you might like it," he teased her.

"That's not funny," she answered, anger in her voice. He came closer now, moving a chair to sit next to her.

"The rope was necessary for I didn't know your background." His voice was soft now, his azure eyes gentle.

"See, I couldn't take the chance on letting a foe frankly walk this ship at his own convenience. I had to find out about your riskiness first. So, who are you, m'lady?" Killian almost whispered.

In this dim candlelight his lips had the dark shade of cherries in late September. Lady Susanna tried to look away and forced herself to focus.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She teased him back now and Killian sneered. He liked this.

"Perhaps I would." It was just then, that Lady Susanna noticed the silence. The battle must have been over.

"So, enlighten me, love. Are you a friend or a foe?"

"I am not a pirate's bride, nor am I a piratess myself, if you're asking that. I am, though, the daughter of the Governor of Cagliari and I am _certain_ that he's already searching for me. So I highly suggest you to set me free, pirate!"

"Ohh, threatening again?" He answered, clearly amused about it.

"I understand, you are the daughter of someone important, love. Yet, I still don't know who _you_ are."

Lady Susanna looked confused. What did he mean with that? She had just told him. Killian licked his lips before he went on.

"Let's do this again, shall we? Who are you?"

Lady Susanna blinked a few times, not sure how to answer.

"I- I'm… my father's-" Killian shook his head.

"What is your name, darling? Let's start with that."

"My name… my name is Susanna of Cagliari."

"Good," he answered. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Susanna of Cagliari."

She nodded, not sure where this was leading to.

"And what were you doing before you were captured by those corsairs?"

"I…" His head moved closer as she spoke, which distracted her immensely.

"I went to the bakery, to buy some… delights." She swallowed.

"Delights?" He echoed her words, his voice like velvet. Lady Susanna nodded again, her heart beating against her chest. His eyes, that reminded her of the deep blue sky after a heavy storm, never left hers.

"And what was your plan on how to spend your afternoon, if it wasn't for the inconvenience of your imprisonment?"

"Tea," was the only word her dried lips could form, her voice low and shaky.

"Hm…," he exhaled, before she added with a faint whisper "… and books."

Killian looked down, nodding insightfully, as if her declarations were very important details he had missed before. When he looked back into her eyes, his were filled with sincerity.

"You shall get reunited with your father, Lady Susanna, you have my word."

She didn't understand.

"Ex- excuse me?" She stuttered. Was he serious? Just like that?

"If that's your will, that is," he winked.

He must be joking, she thought. Why would he hold her captive and treat her like a dangerous opponent first and then promise her freedom out of the blue? He must be tricking her, she was certain of that. She felt the anger rise up inside of her chest again. If there was one thing Lady Susanna loathed, it was to make a fool of her. Even the attempt of a hoax made her furious!

"Does this amuse you? Playing with a girl's innocence? Toying around with her hope of freedom, simply because you feel like it? Do you really think this is funny at all, you stinking ratfish?" Lady Susanna's words felt like a slap in his face, but Killian didn't move an inch.

After a moment of heavy silence "I prefer _Captain_," was everything he said. Just when he wanted to stand up from his chair, the sound of a cannon startled them both.

"What-," Lady Susanna looked around, as if she would find the source of the noise in the cabin she was still sitting in. She thought the battle was over, where did this sound come from, she wondered. Killian was at his feet when the door opened.

"Captain, the marine," a crew member shouted before he left as quickly as he had appeared, leaving the door wide open.

Before Lady Susanna could even ask, the blade in Killian's hand gleamed metallic red in the light of the setting sun, his feet moving quickly towards the girl on the wooden seat. Lady Susanna closed her eyes, gasping, her heart almost tearing apart her ribcage.

'No,' she thought, yet again, but when she opened her eyes, Killian was standing tall, his back turned to her. She looked down to her lap and noticed that her hands remained _tightly clenched; when she allowed herself to ease her fists, the rope fell down from her skinny wrists. Lady Susanna's eyes reflected confusion and incomprehension. She could hear the sounds of shouting men and firing canons from outside of the cabin. Killian looked over his shoulder, his silhouette glowing in the light of the sun. He waited a long second before he__opened his mouth to voice the words that left Lady Susanna tongue-tied. _

_"This is your chance to escape, m'lady. Farewell, Anna." And then he left._


End file.
